Dictionary of Prakrit for Jain Literature Vol 01 Fasc 01

Author(s): A M Ghatage
Publisher: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

Page 13

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works like the six Karmagrantbas, Kammapayadi, years and more, and a second edition of it was published the Viseşāvasyakabbasya, the Pancasaka and Supā. in 1961. More recently an abridged edition of the same gapābacariya were included. The reasons for this is for the use of students was issued under the same name. hard to find. Originally planned by a non-academician The abridgement was mainly done by dropping a fair Mr. Bhandari, who gives a graphic description of the number of words, mostly derivatives or compound difficulties met by the project during its execution, the forms, which can be easily produced by the rules of basic work was prepared by the monk Shri Rata candji grammar, Oiherwise all the three editions are identical Maharaja, a versatilo Sanskrit scholar tamous for his in every respect and no attempt was made to either extraordinary memory, containing an estimated 50,000 correct its mistakes or modernise it by additional words taken from the canonical books, who also gave material. their meanings, both common and technical, in Gujarati. As the plan originally conceived had decided to give the
This work consists of about 1000 pages, each page meanings in three languages, Gujarati, Hindi and
having three columns, and includes about 75000 words. English, in order to have the dictionary a wider
Meanings are given in Hindi and citations are few, a few circulation, the Gujarati meanings were rendered into
more references being added to them. It uses as many as the other two languages with the help of a number
170 books and represents the major Prakrit dialects of scholars who themselves were not acquainted with
except works from Jain Sauraseni. However TVATATT the original texts and bence worked under a real and 89 are included, the purpose of which handicap. The bulk of the dictionary, which consists
remains unexplained. Only a few Apabhramsa works of four volumes with a total of more than three thousand
were used for the simple reason that most of them were pages is primarily due to this trilingual translations published after the Dictionary was completed. Citations and the actual lexical items are far less than can be
from the Maharastri epics are given mostly by a mere expected from the bulk of the work. Most of the short. reference to the name of the book, when they have a comings of the dictionary are due to the way in which the word index. (Probably the index to Setubandha was not plan was carried out in very adverse circumstances. It availab
available to the author.) The dramatic Prakrits are appears that the original intention to confine the work to poorly represented and only an unpublished list of technionly the Ardha-Magadbi Prakrit as found in the canon,
cal Prakrit terms in the dramas was made use of, and which is also apparent from the fact that a new grammar
bence other words of the dramatic Prakrits were not of this Prakrit was prepared by Dr. Banarasi Das and
included. In fact this bas become a good dictionary for given at the begioning, was altered and a fifth volume of
nd a fifth volume of
the three la
the three Prakrits, Ardha-Vagadbi, Jain Mabarastri and 857 pages was added, which included all the words wbich Maharastri. were found in the Păiasaddamabannavo of Pandit Har
All Prakrit words are followed by their Sanskrit govinddas Seth. This was done with the intention of
equivalents, but no attempt is made to include their making it cover all the Prakrit dialects, but which were not
etymology and often the Sanskrit givea does not appear found in the first four volumes. The words in this fifth
to be correct according to the Sanskrit grammar. All volume are given with only a Gujarati rendering. This
words taken from the Desin imamala are called Desi, bas deprived the dictionary of the possibility of giving all
even when they have easily ascertainable Sanskrit the meanings a word has, at one place, a great in
cognates. convenience for the user. The use of uncritical editions of the books, the insufficiency of the references given
From the technical point of view the dictionary which makes it often impossible to trace them and lack leaves much to be desired The abbreviations of the of first-hand knowledge of the source material on the works show that no uniform principle is followed : somepart of the numerous translators, have made the work less times the name of the work is abbreviated; sometimes useful in comparison with its bulk and the labour spent the name of the author. Thus the hymn Rsabha pancaon it. Quite recently the whole work is reprinted as it sikä is indicated by Dbana which is an abbreviation of is, without making any attempt to remedy even its scribal the author's name Dhanapala. pi stands for Piscbel to mistakes.
refer to the famous work Grammatik der Prakrit.
Sprachen. The collection of the Prakrit stories prepared The other Dictionary of the Prakrits of the twenties is by H. Jacobi is indicated by the siglum maha, because the most frequently used work called Paiasaddamahannavo, they are said to have been in Mähärastri, a double compiled by Pt. Hargovinddas Seth all alove. This confusion. There are many such curiosities which make work has served its purpose well during the last 60 it difficult for the reader to remember the abbreviations.